A morning newscast featuring breaking news and weather reports. A morning newscast featuring breaking news and weather reports. Area, ostensibly to rally for a representative locked in a dead heat in the house race. He seems more interested in pleasing his base than boosting candidates. Earlier, he stumped in pennsylvania for lou barletta, going up for a seat against bob casey. But he spent time listing his grievances against the media and touting his accomplishments, and when talking about Lou Barlettas opponent, trump described that as the boring stuff because sources tell cnn that President Trump is increasingly frustrated with the russia investigation, the fact that its still going on and seemingly produced no evidence of collusion. But the probe could be far from over, as President Trumps legal team is continuing to negotiate the final details of a potential sitdown interview between President Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller. And aides tell cnn that they hope by filling trumps schedule
with these political events, they can help take trumps mind off the investigation, can improve his worsening mood in the Ohio Special Election could provide a crucial opportunity for President Trump to do just that as republicans are really hoping to avoid another Democratic Victory in a district that trump won easily just two years ago. Christi. All righty. Sarah westwood, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Well, theres a new twist in the russia investigation. Sources tell cnn Robert Muellers team has interviewed the woman known as the manhattan madam. Heres cnn Political Correspondent sara murray with a look at the possible connection to the collusion probe. Reporter Kristin Davis, the woman known as the manhattan madam, meeting with Special CouncilRobert Muellers team for a voluntary interview earlier this week, sources tell cnn. Investigators apparently interested in her ties to longtime trump adviser roger stone. She and stone have been Close Friends for a decade. Investigators also expressed
interest in having davis testify before a grand jury. The latest indication prosecutors are aiming to build a case against stone. Davis lawyer declined to comment. In a statement, stone tells cnn, Kristin Davis is a longtime friend and associate of mine. I am the godfather to her 2yearold son. She knows nothing about Russian Collusion, wikileaks collaboration, or any other impropriety related to the 2016 election, which i thought was the subject of this probe. I understand she appeared voluntarily. I am highly confident she will testify truthfully if called upon to do so. Davis once ran a prostitution ring and went to jail surrounding the prosecution of eliot spitzer. The remorse i feel will always be with me. Reporter shes worked with stone over the years, and in late 2016, she joined his payroll to help him with clerical tasks. Muellers team has been looking into possible contact between stone and wikileaks founder
julian assange during the 2016 campaign. Yeah, i followed assanges twitter feed. I had a goggle alert for him. I read every interview he gave. You could foreshadow what he was doing, but im not involved in any collusion or conspiracy with the russians or anyone else. And theres no evidence to the contrary. Reporter investigators have also been probing stones finances and his personal life. People familiar with the situation say at least two witnesses were asked whether stone was actually the father of davis son. Earlier this week, stone posted a photo of davis and her child to instagram with this caption why do fbi agents dispatched by Robert Mueller keep asking a number of my current and former associates if i am this babys father . What does this have to do with Russian Collusion and the 2016 election . Now, this week, another former associate of roger stone, andrew miller, was also ordered to testify before the mueller grand jury. Yet another indication of how the special counsels team seems to be circling around roger
stone. Sara murray, cnn, washington. Sara, thank you so much. A Commentary Writer for the Washington Examiner is here, along with joey jackson, legal analyst and defense attorney. Thank you both for being with us. Saraj, i want to ask you, the fact that mueller even met with her at all, what does that tell you about the trajectory of where this is going and where its headed . There are likely two possible outcomes to this trajectory, christi, one of which is trying to paint a broader picture of the Trump Campaign during the 2016 election and trying to get a sense of what roger stone knew as opposed to, you know, what he actually dealt with in terms of with the russian government, whatever foreign interest, like in the instance of Paul Manafort, who is now being, you know, held in, you know, looking at particularly the judge
Trump Campaign. You dont have that link. And so, we cant look at this particular Madam Investigation and her voluntary cooperation at this point in isolation. We have to view it in the broader picture. They are, the federal government, investigating stone. Stone has had contact right, remember guccifer, which was a twitter handle tied back to the russians and russian intelligence officers. So, why is someone who is close to trump, who is involved in the campaign, who is a strategist, communicating with the russians . Whats the link, if any . Whats the inappropriate, untoward, or even illegal act, if any . So, in order to know that, you go to the associates who know roger stone to discuss his m. O. , to discuss what hes doing, who hes communicating with, what you know him, you know, ultimately to do in terms of transacting with people, and then potentially you get that. Remember, christi, final word is that, you know, generally people, if they do commit crimes, not suggesting he has,
they dont just do it in the bright of day, right . They do it in the dark of night. So you have to look at all types of associations in order to determine whether theres something inappropriate. So, thats why theyre looking at stone, because he could provide the Critical Link that would lead to the c question, collusion again, im sorry conspiracy, since this collusion, no collusion, collusions not a crime, conspiracy is, and thats why theyre looking at it. Got you. I want to move to the manafort trial. 18 charges, tax and banking crimes here for Paul Manafort from a Campaign Chair for President Trump. Interesting this week the accountants who testified here, particularly cindy laporta. She testified that her firm falsified a loan amount at the request of rick gates to help manafort pay less taxes. Does that, joey, play right into the defense that gates was the one facilitating all of this and that manafort didnt know anything about it . Short answer, christi,
absolutely not. You know, big picture, again, on this. I do not understand why he would be, that is, manafort, taking the case to trial. Understand that of the 18 counts in the indictment, prosecutors need one victory. Do the math from a statistical perspective, and you tell me how you get out from under that. And so, the only thing i could think, again, big picture, is that hes holding out for a pardon. We know that the president doesnt like the investigation. We know the president has stated that he believes manaforts treated unfairly. And so, this could be a very well and academic exercise in as much as after the fact, should he be convicted i think he will hell be pardoned. But to your point, looking at the accountants testimony, the bookkeepers testimony, when you look at Documentary Evidence speaking to the issue of forged documents, emails which essentially prove and corroborate the falsity of the documents, offshore foreign accounts that were never disclosed, you wonder, wow
this doesnt turn on rick gates and his testimony alone, which the defense would like to attack and say hes the guy thats doing everything, and Paul Manafort was just along for the ride. Theres much more compelling evidence in that. It does not turn on a word. It turns on documents. And when it does that and theres a paper trail, its very hard to get from out under any type of prosecution, notwithstanding what defense you have. And so, i think this represents trouble. I think hell be convicted. Okay. So, he thinks hes going to be convicted, siraj. President trumps, outside of his association, i guess, with manafort because these are all alleged crimes that happened before he had any association with the pretsident, but that association between the two, other than the optics, is there any real risk to the president in a conviction for Paul Manafort here . The only real risks, really, is the president s reputation, because Paul Manafort has a reputation of being sort of a seedy lobbyist in washington who has been known to, you know, put his connections out there with
foreign governments and not disclose those connections. So, if youre looking at manafort and his connection to the Trump Campaign, sure, there may not be actual conspiracy to c collude with foreign governments, let alone the russian government, but there is a possibility that manafort may have used his connections to kind of leverage the Trump Campaign in a better position during the 2016 election, and that is probably why they are going after him in this regard. There isnt any evidence right now that manafort had anything to do with connecting the Trump Campaign to the russian government. Right. We dont have that. But the fact that he is a part of it is just another stain on the campaign. Yeah. The optics dont do any favors here. Siraj hashmi and joey jackson, always appreciate your perspectives. Thank you. Thank you. U. S. Intel chiefs say that russia may be trying to hack the midterms, but President Trump is calling it all a big hoax. Well ask our National Security expert what to make of these mixed messages from washington. Next. Also, you know the tsa is considering Ending Security Screenings at small airports across the country . Yes thats just one of many options that theyre looking into to save money. Also, the reward is increasing for clues in the disappearance of a missing University Of Iowa student. How this tightknit community is coping with so much uncertainty right now. Just let her go and lets get past this. Its a hightech revolution in sleep. The new sleep number 360 smart bed. It intelligently senses your movement and automatically adjusts on each side to keep you both comfortable. And snoring . How smart is that . Smarter sleep. To help you lose your dad bod, train for that marathon, and wake up with the patience of a saint. The new sleep number 360 smart bed, from 999. Smarter sleep will change your life. Fda approved for over 18 years. President trump and his administration are sending mixed messages on Russian Election meddling, hours after his top National Security officials warned that russia may be trying to hack u. S. Elections again. The president called it a russian hoax during a rally. Take a listen. The Intelligence Community continues to be concerned about
the threats of upcoming u. S. Elections, both the midterms and the president ial elections of 2020. Our democracy itself is in the crosshairs. Make no mistake, the scope of this foreign influence threat is both broad and deep. Now were being hindered by the russian hoax. Its a hoax, okay . Ill tell you what, russias very unhappy that trump won. All right, joining me now is juliette kayyem, former Assistant Secretary of the department of Homeland Security. Good morning. Good morning. So, let me ask you the obvious. What do you make of this incredible contradiction . It is hard to fathom in any other administration where you would have your National Security apparatus stating the truth so its not that theres mixed messages. There is a factual, truthful message, which is the russians continue to try to infiltrate our campaign, social media, and disrupt our democratic processes. And then there is an untruth message, basically a lie, which is that all the Russia Discussion is a hoax. So, theres no way of melding the pieces. You just either have to accept that the president is off in his own land and the National Security apparatus is going to do everything it can to protect the United States, or that the president is essentially, basically signaling to russia, as many people now wonder, that we will not do enough to stop him, to stop putin from doing this again in 2018. So, its just its unfathomable that this exists right now, but i think weve sort of gotten used to it, of these sort of two different worlds, the National Security world, factbased world, and then Donald Trumps tweets and statements. And the president s
statements are especially important when it comes to trying to deter the russians from doing this again, because hes the one thats going to say, hey, if you do, this is whats going to happen. And yet, he doesnt. So, we can try and protect our system as much as possible, but part of that deterrence is the message coming out of the leader of the free world. Thats exactly right. So, ive been calling this come hither collusion. You know, we have all these discussions about collusion in 2016 and whether its been proved. But i think if you put all the facts together about what donald trump has done hes denied that the russians you know, hes denied sort of the facts about what the russians did in 2016. The republicans have sort of denied funding to state and locals to prepare for it. Trump says he has a Good Relationship with putin, never really challenges him. Trump seems to be signaling, right, to the extent that National Security is as much about, you know, war and military efforts as it is about the United States signaling to our adversaries that we will not
tolerate certain conduct, trump is signaling to putin that he does not view russias infiltration as a problem, so its sort of what i call the come hither, right . And any rational russian, right, including putin, would look at what donald trump is saying and believe that this president is not concerned and is not putting the full force of our apparatus to protect the United States. So, i have to say, i welcome what the National Security team did this week. I think its important for them to have done it, but you cant fight a war without your Commander In Chief, right . And they dont have the Commander In Chief on board. Im going to play you a sound bite from former cia director leon panetta. He says hes very concerned about this, obviously. Listen. I have never in my lifetime seen an administration that is presenting such a confused message when it comes to a
National Security threat. And the fact is that its sending a very mixed message to both our enemies and our allies that the United States does not have a clear policy when it comes to russia. So, hes sort of reconfirming there what we were just talking about, juliette. I was glad to hear these intel chiefs come out and very strongly say that this is not going to be tolerated. I didnt hear a whole lot of whats being done. So, what is being done . What do you know of what were trying to do to prevent this russian meddling . Okay, so, theres two pieces to whats being done. One is clearly the best sort of policy would be to have the russians stop doing what theyre doing. So, to that extent, having the National Security team essentially name and shame Whats Going On, expose what the russians are trying to do, because its through that transparency that either the russians, you know, stop doing it, or People Like Us and Law Enforcement, intelligence
officials are aware of what the russians are doing. So, thats one way of doing it. So, thats sort of offense. The other way is, of course, defense. Prepare ourselves for whatever might happen, in particular on the state and local level. This is the world i lived in at the department of Homeland Security. Preparing the state and locals for whether its the, you know, infiltration of the voting apparatus, disruptions to voting on the day of. That is also being addressed on the state and local level. There is support for them. But without a i would say without a leadership that is basically fighting this war every day i dont like using the war analogy, but were under attack, right . Theres no other way to put it. Without the leadership, these efforts will not be as successful as they could be. We tend to believe, outside of this you know, people not inside this believe oh, well, theres not much we can do, we cant fight this. Thats just actually not true. France during their most recent election was able to combat some of the russian infiltration. Germany was. Theres techniques that can be used. Were not but that required their leadership, and that is not occurring here in the United States. Juliette kayyem, as always, we appreciate the intelligent insight you bring. Thank you. Thank you. Well, were having some very candid conversations with the family of that missing University Of Iowa student. Straight ahead, how a Small Community is keeping the focus of bringing her home and where that investigation stands now. Ot finding a new apartment . Yeah. But popping these things really helps me. Relax. Please dont, im saving those for later. At least you dont have to worry about renters insurance. Just go to geico. Com. Geico helps with renters insurance . Good to know. Been doing it for years. Thats really good to know. Ill check em out. Get to know geico. And see how easy homeowners and renters insurance can be. I never thought id say this but i found Bladder Leak Underwear thats actually pretty. Always discreet boutique. Hidden inside is a super absorbent core that quickly turns liquid to gel. Describe mollie tibbetts. Sadly, we can now add the word missing. Its just small town. Smalltown, iowa, and this doest happen here. Reporter here is brooklyn, iowa, a small, sleepy town enveloped by rows of corn fields and stocked with people who all know each other and have become the foundation of a family its a missing person. My sister, actually, is trying to spread the word as much as we can. Reporter just trying to hold it together as they fight to bring mollie home. When were together, its absolutely fine. Its when youre alone and you talk to mollie by yourself. Reporter laura talked about how she can feel mollies presence. She feels her maybe sitting on her shoulder. Do you have that same sense . We all do. When youre alone, you talk to mollie. And then you know why were fighting. Shes out there. We just feel it. Reporter do you ever feel
like you hear back from her . Yeah. I did this morning, but i dont want to talk about it. Reporter on july 18th, mollie was dropped off at a boyfriends house to dogsit while he was out of town, and then was later seen jogging. No one has seen her since, but Neighbors Dave and Mary Jo Kallum say they used to see her all the time. Shed come down the road, and if i was over there working, you know, in my flowers, id, you know, shed just wave and say hi, and off shed go, because thats the house right down here. Thats where her boyfriend thats where her boyfriend lives, yeah. Right down there, that white house. Its just like this girl walking by. Like this girl now. Now i Pay Attention to what they have on, you know . Shes got a headband, shes talking on her phone color of her shoes, color of her top, her shorts. Because but before, we never would pay any attention, you know. Wed just glance and wave. Reporter they were some of the first volunteers who searched for mollie. We went to corn fields. The corn fields. And we walked corn fields
presence with me. You know, sometimes i just feel her sitting on my shoulder. Just hang in there. Just hang in there. Were fighting like hell. Weve got a great Law Enforcement team. The communitys all behind you. Medias helping. The whole countrys in love with you, pie well find you. Where does pie come from . We call her pie. Ive called her pie since she was a baby. Mollies dad lives in california, and he told me that hes going to stay in iowa until authorities tell him that he is no longer a help. He is there, he says, for the long haul. And police are being very quiet about that investigation. Well continue, of course, to follow it and let you know what we hear. Houston police say the man wanted in the murder of a cardiologist who once treated former president george h. W. Bush took his own life after being confronted by police. Dr. Mark hausknecht was killed
while riding his bike to work last month. According to police, a neighbor identified the suspect as joseph papis from surveillance video, and bullets found in his garage are the same as those recovered from the scene of the murder, according to authorities. Authorities believe that he harbored a 20year grudge against hausknecht after pappas mother died on the doctors operating table. Las vegas police have closed their investigation into last years deadly Concert Shooting without giving a motive. Last year, stephen paddock, youll remember, killed 58 people and injured hundreds more when he began shooting from the 32nd floor of the mandalay bay resort and casino. According to the 187page report, paddock acted alone and there were no signs that he had links to any hate groups or terrorist organizations. Investigators did find 14 Bank Accounts associated with the shooter, who was a highstakes gambler. Well, mike pompeo met north koreas Foreign Minister this morning. There were friendly smiles and
handshakes. However, a u. N. Report says north korea is still pursuing its nuclear program. Well tell you how. Plus, the tsa is looking to save some money. Critics say it will be at the expense of airport security. The agencys mulling a proposal to cut screenings at small airports across the country and cut personnel. What could it mean for your travel plans and safety, next. F, Agent Beekman was one step ahead of them. Because he hid his customers gold in a different box. And the bandits, well, they got rocks. We protected your money then and were dedicated to helping protect it today. Like alerting you to certain Card Activity we find suspicious. If its not your purchase, well help you resolve it. Its a new day at wells fargo. But its a lot like our first day. You wont find relief here. Congestion and pressure . Go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritind. While the leading Allergy Spray relieves 6 symptoms. Claritind relieves 8, including sinus congestion and pressure. Claritind relieves more. Were in a small room. What . welcome. [ gasps ] a bigger room . how many of you use Car Insurance . Oh. Well, what if i showed you this . [ laughing ] hohoho wow. Its a computer. We compare rates to help you get the price and coverage thats right for you. Thats amazing the only thing that would make this better
is if my mom were here. What . an unexpected ending i knew at that exact moment. Im beating this. My main focus was to find a team of doctors. Its not just picking a surgeon, its picking the care team and feeling secure in where you are. Visit cancercenter. Com breast to me, hes, phil micwell, dad. O golfer. So when his joint pain from Psoriatic Arthritis got really bad, it scared me. And what could that pain mean . Joint pain could mean joint damage. Enbrel helps relieve joint pain, helps stop irreversible joint damage, and helps skin get clearer. Enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. Serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, Nervous System and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. Tell your doctor if youve been someplace where fungal infections are common, or if youre prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. Dont start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. Since enbrel, dads back to being dad. Visit enbrel. Com and use the joint Damage Simulator to see how your joint damage could be progressing. Ask about enbrel. Enbrel. Fda approved for over 15 years. Wmust have cost a lot. A fancy hotel. Actually, i got a great deal. Priceline saves you up to 60 on hotels, but thats something the hotels dont really want other guests to know. I saved about 120 dollars a night did you say you saved 120 dollars a night on a room . 120 a night on a hotel room. Thats a lot of savings i saved even more on my flight. Save up to 60 on hotels with priceline. Secretary of state mike pompeo met with north koreas Foreign Minister at the asean summit today, and this is what he tweeted i had the chance to speak with my dpprk counterpart, ri yung ho today. We had a quick, polite exchange. Our u. S. Delegation also had an opportunity to deliver a reply to chairman kims letter. But despite this, north korea is continuing to develop its nuclear and missile program, in violation of international sanctions. Cnn Senior International correspondent ivan watson is now live from singapore. Good to see you, ivan. What did the north Korean Foreign minister say this morning . Reporter you know, we didnt hear him say anything, but there was this odd, you know, printed statement that was found in the press center on the sidelines of this gathering here that was a fivepage statement from the north koreans. Martin and christi, this is such a peculiar diplomatic dance here. Youve got the top diplomats from the u. S. And north korea who are on the one hand being kind of very complimentary to each other and to the historic meeting that took place here in singapore a little bit less than two months ago between president
trump and north Korean Leader kim jongun, but then they have some sharp words for each other, like mike pompeo coming here and saying that north koreas acting inconsistent with the commitments that kim made towards denuclearization and urging Southeast Asian nations to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on north korea, going one step further, accusing russia of helping north korea evade United Nations sanctions. Take a listen. We have seen reports that russia is allowing for joint ventures with north korean firms and granting new work permits to north korean guest workers. If these reports prove accurate, and we have every reason to believe that they are, that would be in violation of u. N. Security Council Resolution 2375. I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something that
we will discuss with moscow. Reporter now, there wasnt a formal bilateral meeting between pompeo and the north Korean Foreign minister, though pompeo went out of his way to shake hands with him during a group photo op. Now, the north Korean Foreign minister put out this statement that had some pointed words of criticism for the u. S. , accusing of it raising its voice louder for maintaining sanctions against the dprk and showing the attitude to retreat even from declaring the end of war, a very basic and primary step for providing peace on the korean peninsula, also accusing the u. S. Of trying to convince other countries not to send highlevel delegations to an anniversary celebration in north korea in september. So, again, a very odd diplomatic dance by these two top diplomats. Yeah, very strange indeed. Ivan watson, we appreciate it
greatly. Thanks. Thank you, ivan. Ohio states Head Football Coach is backtracking now regarding his statements about a fired assistant accused of domestic abuse. Coy wire, Whats Going On . Good morning to you, christi. First, urban meyer said he didnt know about an alleged incident involving his former assistant. Now he says he did. What did he know and why was he misleading . Thats coming up on new day. This is not a bed. Its a hightech revolution in sleep. The new sleep number 360 smart bed. It intelligently senses your movement and automatically adjusts on each side to keep you both comfortable. And snoring . How smart is that . Smarter sleep. To help you lose your dad bod, train for that marathon, and wake up with the patience of a saint. The new sleep number 360 smart bed, from 999. Smarter sleep will change your life. Where in all of this is the stuff that matters . The stakes are so high, your finances, your future. How do you solve this . You partner with a firm that combines trusted, personal advice with the cutting edge tools and insights to help you not only see your potential, but live it too. Morgan stanley. Our new, hot, fresh breakfast will get you the readiest. buzzer sound holiday inn express. Be the readiest. Involving his former assistant coach, zach smith, and smiths exwife, courtney. Here meyer was denying knowledge of this incident. I got a text Late Last Night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing, unless, once again, theres nothing once again, i dont know who creates a story like that. But late friday, meyer, who is now on paid leave, released a nearly 500word statement, saying he did report the 2015 incident, following proper protocols, and he apologized for being misleading, saying in part, my words, whether in a reply to a reporters question, or in addressing a personal issue, must be clear, compassionate, and most of all, completely accurate. Unfortunately, at big ten media days on july 24th, i failed on many of these fronts. Meyer said he wasnt prepared to discuss sensitive, personal issues regarding smith, who he had fired just one day prior to big ten media days after smith was served a Protection Order on behalf of his exwife. Zach smith told espn he thinks
meyer handled the 2015 incident properly. He found out the facts he needed to find out as the head coach of ohio state and as my direct boss, and he needed to make decisions based on those facts. I dont think it was his job to investigate, to ask questions, to talk to her, talk to he only had to talk to me to make sure, because he already got the other side of the story from the incident report, and so he wanted to know what really happened from me, and then he let the police do their job. Coming from somebody who knows i was in all the meetings. I know exactly what he did. If he loses his job, its flat wrong, and this is the guy who fired me. Ohio State University has formed a sixperson committee to investigate meyers handling of the alleged incident from 2015. We will stay on top of that story for you. Now, lets switch gears and bring you an inspiring story of determination and perseverance from the sports world. Thats steelers linebacker ryan shazier Walking Around under his own power at training camp. Remember, less than a year ago,
he suffered a serious spinal injury during a game, leaving him unable to walk. He says his dream is to get back out on that field and play in the nfl again some day. Hes tweeting out, asking everyone to keep shalieving. Ryan, we wish you the best on your journey back. No doubt. Coy, thank you. Youre welcome. Thanks, coy. Just ahead, the tsa looking to save money by cutting out crucial security measures. Details of why the cuts are coming at the expense of maybe your safety. So what do you guys want . Pistachio. Chocolate chip. Rocky road. I see Whats Going On here. Everybodys got different taste. Well, now verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plans so everybody gets the plan they want, without paying for things they dont. Jetsetting moms can videochat from europe. Movieobsessed teens can stream obscure cinema. Its like everyone gets their own flavor of unlimited. chuckles its a metaphor. Simile, not a metaphor. Hm. Well played. vo one family. Different unlimited plans. Starting at 40 per line. Switch now and get 300 off our best phones all on the network you deserve. No matter how much you clean, does your house still smell stuffy . Thats because your home is filled with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. So, try febreze fabric refresher. Febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics and cleans them away as it dries. Use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. Fabric refresher even works for clothes you want to wear another day. Make febreze part of your clean routine for whole home freshness. The new internal document obtained by cnn shows the tsa could save more than 300 million under these measures. Which might make you think what else would get cut under the proposal. Cnn aviation and government regulation correspondent rene marsh has more. Reporter a new internal tsa document cnn exclusively obtained shows the proposal to eliminate screening at more than 150 small to mediumsize airports is just one of several costsaving measures the agency is discussing. A senior tsa employee tells cnn the agency is looking at cuts that could save more than 300 million in 2020. One cut reducing the number of air marshals, eliminating screening at small airports, Staffing Cuts at tsa headquarters, and changes to benefits are also being discussed. Tsa did not comment. Juliette kayyem, a former official with department of Homeland Security under obama, is concerned. Ending security at certain
airports, ending or flatlining the air Marshal Service are actually inconsistent, because if youre going to decrease security at certain airports, what you would want to do is increase the presence of air marshals or other security features just in case. Reporter cnn revealed the most controversial cut, eliminating screening at small airports like this one in redding, california, where Bryant Garrett is the manager. Since i as the airport dont want to take on that, either the liability nor the cost, and im quite certain the airlines dont want to take that on. So, if tsa backs out, theres a void, and i dont know who would fill it. Ladies and gentlemen, we are the police. Remain calm. Reporter air marshals are the last line of defense, armed agents aboard planes to prevent hijackings. Critics have questioned its effectiveness, but the tsa has defended the program as a deterrent. While agencies discuss where they can trim all the time, the big question that congress and
likely the American Public is asking and would like explained is whether these cuts are being considered because the threat and risk to aviation has changed, or is this just an indication that the agency is under extreme pressure to cut costs . Rene marsh, cnn, washington. And back with us, cnn National Security analyst and former Assistant Secretary for the department of Homeland Security, juliette kayyem. Thank you for sticking around. Gauge for us, if you would, please, what kind of danger this does or does not put the public in. So, i want to just put this in perspective. Look, agencies, including security agencies, are constantly reassessing their budgets and their priorities. Budgets are just you know, money is just a way of reflecting what the policy should be. So, theres nothing surprising about tsa saying we want to cut here and not cut here. Whats surprising is that these cuts are being made without any changes, at least from the publics perspective, and certainly congress perspective,
to whether there is a threat reduction, whether there is a risk reduction, and whether those changes, in particular at these smaller airports, will be filled by alternatives or whether were just going to leave a gap. So, that i think is the sort of pressing question right now, is, is this just tsa just saying, look, we need to save money, were cutting across the board, or is this actually in response to, one would hope, changes in the Risk Assessment or the threat assessment. And right now we cant answer that question. All right. I think a lot of people are sitting home and thinking, wait a minute, i pay taxes every time i buy a plane ticket. You know, part of the fees go to security, and theyre proposing decreasing security now. You cant imagine that the flights are going to take those fees away. No, not at all. I mean, thats exactly right. Its a good point to say this is actually our money, right, that is going to support what are the Layer Defenses at any airport. So, what tsa will say is, look,
if we take the air marshals or flatline the air marshals or end security at these smaller airports, there will be other features to compensate for it. I am not so sure about that. I mean, these smaller airports, to say that were going to go from, you know, security to no security is a big leap. And what people like me prefer is not to view security as an onoff switch, you either have it or you dont. You actually can think of a variety of policies or options available that might increase or decrease the security, but from going from security to no security seems like a big jump, especially in light of the fact that for the last, you know, couple years, there has been sort of no discussion in the changes of the threat environment visavis airline security, which is just, just given the nature of 9 11, is just a different beast from Security Purposes that weve always focused on airline and aviation security, rightfully so, because the consequences are so great